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| Centennial
count-down: Lao
Cai people are smartening up their hotels, public spaces
and cultural performances to entertain an estimated 10,000
guests who will come to Sa Pa for the celebrations. |
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| Living
life to the fullest:
Young Mong men play bamboo flutes and drink wine to their
heart’s content. — VNA/VNS Photo Duc Tam |
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Fansipan
Challenge
And
a unique challenge will be the climb up the
country’s tallest mountain, Fansipan, which
stands at 3,143m and is often described as the
roof of Viet Nam.
As
many as 100 people, to represent the 100 years,
will be selected to tackle Fansipan over two
days. They will be divided into groups depending
on their abilities and guided to the peak from
different directions, ranging from an easy
shortcut road to a rigorous mountain trail.
Selection
of the mountaineers will be on a
first-come-first-serve basis. Anyone who wants
to make the journey will have to submit an
application letter to the provincial culture and
sports department before the end of July.
To
participate in the Fansipan Challenge, write a
letter before the end of July expressing your
interest to:
Tran
Huu Son, Director
Lao
Cai Sports Department
258
Hoang Lien Road
Lao
Cai Province, Viet Nam.
Tel:
020-840-039 Mobile: 091-328-7670
In
your letter please include your name, address,
employer (if working in Viet Nam), explain that
you wish to be part of the Fansipan Challenge
and describe your physical condition and past
climbing experience.
The
cost of guides to climb the mountain will be
free, but you will be expected to bring your own
tent, sleeping bag and food. October is the end
of autumn so you will need to be prepared for
cool conditions.
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Sa
Pa gets ready to celebrate birthday
by
Hong Thuy
Gone are the days
when young Mong, Dao, Tay and Giay people from Sa Pa’s surrounds
headed to town to play music and seek a spouse.
But this doesn’t
stop the multitude of tourists who still flock to the town hoping to
glimpse young, ethnic minority men and women flirting at the cho tinh
(love market).
When they get
there the last thing they find is the melodious sounds of the khen (bamboo
pipe flute) or the courtships between men and women dressed in their
traditional rainbow of colours.
Instead, what they
now see is a handful of self-conscious young people who try to hide
themselves in the shadows of a completely deserted market.
"I have not
yet seen a real cho tinh as described by the older people in
town, although I have been living here for six years," one street
vendor said.
"I suspect
tourists may have spoiled it," she added.
Cho tinh
was where people from the district’s different ethnic groups converged
to meet potential lovers and renew ties with old ones.
A young Mong man
might have demonstrated his ability to perform the khen dance
while a Dao counterpart belted out his repertoire of hat doi (duet
singing).
Both of them would
have been keen to perform well to attract the eye of women they were
interested in.
It was not
uncommon to see a young Mong fellow walking around the market with a
young lady in town. He would hide her in his house for a few days and
then a wedding party would be organised if the woman accepted his
proposal.
People went to the
market on Saturday evening to relax and talk and then most of the buying
and selling of goods would take place the next day.
No formal research
has been conducted to determine why these customs have fallen into
oblivion, but many Sa Pa locals believe it is the fault of tourists who
tried to film and photograph the private flirtations.
National
festival
The market may not
be a lost cause, however, as provincial authorities are trying to revive
the region’s cultural activities in a festival planned for October to
celebrate Sa Pa’s foundation 100 years ago.
Just a few months
ago, when Viet Nam was in the grip of the SARS outbreak, tourists were
few and far between. But business is already picking up and Sa Pa
traders are preparing themselves for a dynamic season.
"Road
builders are working very hard, day and night. I like it very much
because I will have a wider road to walk upon," Dao woman Ly No May
said cheerfully.
Sa Pa’s
residents are working against the clock to get everything ready in time
for the festival.
The province has
invested more than VND100 billion (US$6.5 million) to upgrade the road
between Lao Cai and Sa Pa, street lighting and water supply.
Many sections of
the Lao Cai-Sa Pa road which were steep and dangerous have been widened
to improve safety and most of the route has been asphalted.
Chairman of Sa Pa
People’s Committee, Pham Tien Lap, said the road works would be
completed by mid July at the latest.
The province and
the Ministry of Culture and Information have produced a film chronicling
tourism in Sa Pa and the many cultures and people in Lao Cai Province.
The film targets English, French, Spanish and Vietnamese audiences and
will be sent to 72 countries for distribution.
The province’s
Trade and Tourist Service is also doing its bit, by training hotel and
restaurant managers, volunteers and tourist guides to improve the
quality of their services.
The Sa Pa festival
is planned for October 4-5 this year and the province hopes to attract
10,000 people over the two days.
The town’s 73
hotels can only accommodate 3,000 people, but more hotels are being
built to service the festival and future rises in tourist numbers.
To cover the
accommodation shortfall, director of the Sa Pa Tourism Department, Do Du
Bac, said the town will mobilise living quarters in offices, schools and
stilt houses to house the expected tourist influx.
"The town
will have enough places for visitors to sleep during the festival,"
he said.
To stop hotels
taking advantage of the room shortage, the province has asked them to
announce their room rates for the weekend well in advance.
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| Historical:
The
Government has protected the 16sq.km site near Sa
Pa’s Mong villages which features rocks carved and
painted with ancient script and drawings. —
VNA/VNS Photo Tran Son |
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The festival will
be packed with interesting activities. Cultural and sporting activities
of the region’s main ethnic groups will be a feature, alongside the
photo exhibitions Sa Pa Now and Then and Highland Tourism, a Sa Pa
handicrafts and souvenir fair, Sa Pa cuisine, and traditional games such
as archery and tug of war.
Fireworks will
illuminate the sky during the festival’s opening ceremony on Saturday.
Another
out-of-the-ordinary site which should attract interest from visitors is
the 16sq.km of stones which feature rock art and writing. First
discovered and recorded by French archaeologist, Victor Goloubev, in
1923, the 200-odd stones are currently being studied by Vietnamese
archaeologists.
In recent years,
Sa Pa has seen increasing numbers of tourists. Last year, the town
welcomed 75,000 visitors, including 26,000 foreigners. Despite the SARS
outbreak in April this year, the number of tourists in the first four
months reached 20,000.
"We are
striving to hold the festival successfully. It will be a starting point
to accelerate tourism in the province," Chairman of Lao Cai
Province’s People’s Committee, Bui Quang Vinh, said. — VNS |
